There are various types of audio-visual equipment owned by users and it has been common that users enjoy music and video software for personal use. For example, some users own an audio system using recording media such as compact discs (CD) or mini discs (MD, trademark) and purchase desired CDs or MDs for playback.
Apart from the system for providing music or the like as a so-called package medium to the user, a system for distributing data such as music to a terminal device of the user is considered.
It is also considered to distribute not music data itself but additional data for the music owned by the user on CD or the like, for example, text data of title, lyrics, message and profile of artist, and related graphic data.
In consideration of a system where information distribution of music and additional information is chargeable, an accounting system capable of collecting an appropriate fee from the user is required.
As the accounting system, there is first considered a system for carrying out accounting through communication between the terminal device and the accounting center every time chargeable information is taken into the terminal device owned by the user. In such a system, for example, in the state where the terminal device and the accounting center are connected with each other via a telephone line or the like, the accounting center carries out accounting with respect to the user in accordance with the information taken into the user terminal device and later draws the fee from the bank account of the user.
However, as the communication between the accounting center and the terminal device is carried out every time information is taken into the user terminal device as described above, the user must wait for the use of information until the accounting processing is completed. Particularly, depending on the degree of congestion and type of line, the user may have to wait for a very long time.
It is also considered to employ a prepaid card as the accounting system. However, there are many disadvantages of this type of system such as the high cost of circulation of the prepaid cards, the troublesome procedure for the user to purchase the card, and the necessity of providing a dedicated card reader in the terminal device of the user.